Jorginho, who is known for his spot-kick prowess, missed two penalties against Switzerland during the European World Cup qualifier
By Kehinde Okeowo
Chelsea midfielder, Jorginho has regretted missing two penalties during the group stages of the European 2022 World Cup qualification series, admitting it will haunt him for life.
The Italian is a prolific spot-kick finisher who takes it for club and country but he missed two penalties against Switzerland during the qualifier.
The spot-kick misses ultimately stopped the Azzurri from automatic qualification for the intercontinental competition, as they dropped down into the play-offs.
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However, the European champions’ hope of participating at the 2022 Qatar World Cup was finally dashed when North Macedonia scored a dying minute goal against them on Thursday night and Jorginho broke down after the defeat.
Speaking, a tearful Jorginho told RAI, “It is difficult to explain what happened.
“It hurts so much. I’ll be honest, I am still incredulous. Unfortunately, we were unable to finish them off.”
The 28-year-old further reflected on his previous spot-kick misses during the group stages, which threw Italy into the playoff, and admitted the thought of it will haunt him for the rest of his life.
“It hurts when I think about it, because I do still think about it and it will haunt me for the rest of my life.
“Stepping up there twice and not being able to help your team and your country is something that I will carry with me forever, and it weighs on me,” he added.
EUROPEAN WORLD CUP PLAYOFFS
Italy 0 vs North Macedonia 1
Portugal 3 vs Turkey 1
Sweden 1 vs Czech Rep 0 (AET)
Wales 2 vs Austria 1
Scotland. vs Ukraine (Postponed)